Gate-latch.



No. 825,690. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906. G. O. YOUNG.

GATE LATCH.

APPLIOATIOH FILED JAN. 7. 190a.

/0 I w -E g Witnesses: Ipvenl'or: 7 wi wuyimm B J f M m5 CLARK O. YOUNG,

PATEN T OFFICE.

OF TRAER, IOlN A.

GATE LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed January '7, 1905. Serial 11a 240.036.

T0 (0Z7 'LUI'I/OTH/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARK O. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Traer, in the county of Tania and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Gate- Latch, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a latch for gates of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction in which there are means for holding the gate in position relative to the post at its upper and lower end and means whereby these locks can be thrown into or drawn out of the post from a single point.

A further object isto provide an adjustable spring for maintaining the bolts forming a portion of my latch in their locked position.

A further object is to provide a lever which can be operated by a person on horseback for operating the levers connected with the bolts or unlocking the gate.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate and my latch connected with it. That portion of the bolts is shown in dotted lines which is inside of the gate-post and the fencepost. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the gate with my latch attached to it, showing the gate-post in section to show the way in which the bolts are mounted inside of this post; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the lever for operating the latch while on horseback.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1

' have used the reference-numeral to indi cate the ordinary gate, which is hinged to the post 11. This gate has a series of bars 12,13, 14, and 1.5 therein, which are connected at their outer ends by the gate post 16. A fence-post 17 is mounted adjacent to the post 16 when the gate is closed. There are two openings 18 and 19 in the posts 17, into which the rods forming a portion of the latch are designed to extend. There is a plate 20, having an opening extending through it, which leads into the opening 18, attached to the post and outside of the opening 18. There is a similar plate 2 1 having an opening in its central portion leading into the opening 19, which surrounds said opening and is secured to the post. Extending through the gate-post 16 and between the bars 12 and 13 is a V-shaped opening 22, which is largest at its inner end. A similar V-shaped opening 23 extends through the gate-post 16 betweenthe bars 14 and 15. There is aplate 24,having an opening in it, which leads to the opening 22,which plate is secured to the gate-post 16. A similar plate 25, having an opening in it, is secured to the post 16 adjacent to the opening in the post. Extending into the V-shaped openings 22 and 23,1'espectively, are 24 and 25*. Pivotally attached to the mner ends of these bolts 24 and 25 respectively, are two levers 26 and 27, which are respectively pivoted to the bars 13 and 14 by means of the strips 28 and 29 and the screws 30 and 31. These levers 26 and 27 are also pivoted to each other at 32. There is a slot 33 in the lever 27, through which the screw 31 passes, so that the lever 27 will be capable of aslight vertical movement, as well as a pivotal one, when it is being operated. Ahandle 34 is attached by the pivot which connects the part 24* with the lever 26 and is used for operating the levers 26 and 27 and through them the bolts 24 and 25 It will be seen that inasmuch as the levers 26 and 27 are connected with each other by using the handle 34 both of the bolts 24 and 25 will be moved inwardly and outwardly.

Attached to the inside-of the gate-post 16 in such a way that its free end rests against the lower end of the lever 26 is a leaf-spring 35, so arranged as to normallyhold the pivotal point 32 between the levers 26 and 27 normally away from the gate-post 16 and the bolts 24 and 25 in their locked position, so that the operator simply has to pull on the handle to draw the bolts from their locked position and the spring 35 will force them to their locked position without any assistance from the operator. I have provided a bolt 36, which extends through the end 37 .of the spring 35, and have mounted a thumb-screw 38 on the screw-threaded portion of said bolt to allow the end 36 to be moved nearer or farther away from the gate-post 16, so that the tension of the spring 35 may be increased or diminished at the pleasure of the operator. I have provided ,a forked lever 39 to the bar 12 in such a way that the tines 40 and 41 will extend outside of the bolt 24, so that by moving the upper part of the lever toward thegate-post 16that is, from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2-the the bolts tines 40 and 41 will be thrown into engagement With the lever 26 and Will operate to unlock the bolts. It Will be clearly seen that this forked lever does not operate at all, but maintains the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and that in plain lines in Fig. 1 While operating the lever from the handle 34, so the the operation of unlocking the gate is not impeded in any Way by having the forked lever 39 attached to the gate, as this lever is only operative When used to unlatch the gate.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. In a device of the class described, tWo slidingly mounted bolts, two pivotallymounted levers pivotally connected With the bolts and With each other, a pivotallymount ed forked lever having its forked portion out side of the uppermost of said bolts and designed to engage the uppermost of said pivotally-mounted levers for unlocking the bolt, a handle secured to the upper end of the upper lever for operating said levers independside of the uppermost of said signed to engage the uppermost of said pivently of the forked lever said forked lever being so arranged that it will not operate While the handle which is secured to the upper end of the upper lever is being used.

2. In a device of the class described, two slidingly mounted bolts, two pivotallymounted levers pivotally connected With the bolts and with each other, a pivotally-mounted forked lever having its forked portion outbolts and deotally-mounted levers for unlocking the bolt, a handle secured to the upper end of the upper lever for operating said levers independently of the forked lever, said forked. lever being so arranged that it Will not operate While the handle Which is secured to the upper end of the upper lever is being used, and a spring for maintaining the levers in position for maintaining the bolts in a locked position.

CLARK O. YOUNG.

Witnesses:

R. H. MOORE, GEO. WHITE. 

